Steelers Martavis Bryant Banned From NFL for One Year

Steelers Martavis Bryant Banned From NFL for One Year

This is after the wide receiver violated the league's substance-abuse policy.

Published March 14th

Martavis Bryant needs to grab control of his life.

On Monday, the NFL suspended the Pittsburgh Steelers' star wide receiver for at least one year due to the 24-year-old violating the league's substance-abuse policy, as reported by ESPN.

With the suspension, he will lose out on the $600,000 he was set to earn over the 2016 NFL season.

"He is at a crossroads of his professional life, and he needs to understand significant changes need to occur in his personal life if he wants to regain his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler," Steelers GM Kevin Colbert told ESPN about the embattled Bryant. "We are hopeful that Martavis will take the necessary steps to develop the discipline in his personal life to become a successful player and a good teammate."

Perhaps acknowledging that he needs help, Bryant has decided to not appeal the suspension, according to ESPN.

"This is the biggest cry for help I've ever seen, and that hurts. It hurts us to see," one of his agents, Brian Fettner, told ESPN. "He's 24 years old, and he's got to get right, whatever it is. If you talk to anybody's family that has depression, they will be talking about these same things — the [despondence], the withdrawal, the head-in-the-sand despair — just trying to cope."

A source additionally told the Worldwide Leader in Sports that the suspension is related to the league's drug testing.

This comes a year after the NFL suspended Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon for one year for also violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

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